Aircraft doors of this type in a fuselage section of an aircraft accommodate significant loads around their circumference. The larger the diameter of a fuselage section, the higher are the circumferential loads ensuing in the structure of the fuselage section. Depending upon the type of aircraft the circumferential forces can achieve levels of more than 150,000 N. Radial loads are also introduced into the aircraft door; these result from the pressure difference between an ambient air pressure and a fuselage section internal pressure, amongst other sources. While the radial loads are smaller than the circumferential loads, they nevertheless represent a loading onto the aircraft door, that is to say, onto its locking means.
The transfer of loads between the aircraft door and the fuselage section structure takes place by means of solutions of known art, with a multiplicity of hooks arranged such that they can pivot on a shaft; in the region of the fuselage section these hooks grip around essentially horizontally attached shaft sections. By virtue of the high forces to be transferred the hooks and shaft sections are massively designed and as a result are heavy. A solution of this type is described, for example, in DE 198 25 405 C2. In order to prevent any automatic pivoting of the hooks out of the secured position, the locking means, in addition to an opening and closing device, has a complex locking device and a locking means monitoring device.
What is disadvantageous about this locking means is its complexity and the large number of components. Furthermore it is heavy and, by virtue of the multiplicity of components, expensive. Moreover the transfer of forces by means of the hooks and shaft sections is not optimal, since the structure in the region of the hooks is very highly loaded, and moments also arise.